Bioscience Methods 2026, Vol.17, No.1, 32-42 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/bm 36 of nutritive branches and resulting branches is relatively balanced, with approximately half of the new shoots being resulting branches. A low proportion of resulting branches (heavy pruning) means insufficient fruit load, although the single fruit quality is high, the yield potential is not fully exerted. A high proportion of resulting branches (light pruning)indicates that the tree is over-fruiting, and the nutrients allocated to each single fruit are reduced, affecting fruit development (Al-Saif et al., 2023). Therefore, an appropriate pruning intensity should maintain the resulting branch proportion at a moderate level to balance tree growth and fruiting, ensuring stable and high-quality yield. 4.3 Analysis of the differences in result branch formation under different pruning treatments The result branches formed by different winter pruning treatments show a relationship of mutual increase and decrease in quantity and quality (Khokhar et al., 2020). The result branches formed by heavy pruning have a smaller quantity but due to the concentration of nutrients, each branch is relatively thick, has large leaves, and has strong photosynthetic capacity, and the quality of the flower buds formed that year is also higher (Al-Saif et al., 2023). The result branches formed by light pruning have a larger quantity, but each branch receives limited nutrients. They tend to be slender and weak, with smaller leaves. These weak branches often bear more fruits, but due to insufficient assimilation supply, they are prone to poor fruit development or early fruit drop. The result branches formed by medium pruning have an appropriate quantity and growth vigor, without excessive vigorous shoots or widespread thin and weak branches. The difference in pruning intensity also affects the renewal of the result site: heavy pruning promotes the replacement of old branches by new ones, and the result site shows a tendency to contract; light pruning relies more on the original result branch group to continue fruiting, and the result site gradually moves outward (Suchocka et al., 2021). Thus, it can be seen that the pruning intensity should be balanced according to the production goals, and an appropriate intensity should be selected to balance the quantity and quality of the result branches. 5 Effects of Different Winter Pruning Intensities on Fruit Quality 5.1 Effects on fruit appearance quality The size and appearance of the fruits are closely related to the extent of pruning (Benzina et al., 2023). In the case of heavy pruning, the fruits generally appear larger, not only in terms of weight but also in terms of their more regular shape. It's not that there are any special techniques involved; it's simply because there are fewer fruits, resulting in more nutrients being distributed, and thus the fruits naturally become plump (Al-Saif et al., 2023). In the case of light pruning, the situation is somewhat different. Although there are more fruits, the tree has limited resources, so each fruit receives less, and the proportion of small fruits immediately increases. Additionally, the tree crown is too dense, and the light is poor, causing some fruits to have uneven colors (Zhen et al., 2025). Moderate pruning neither too light nor too heavy, the fruits perform relatively normally, with better single fruit weight and fruit shape compared to light pruning. In other words, pruning too lightly actually affects the quality of the commercial fruits. Heavy pruning results in fewer fruits, but the fruits do look more "attractive". 5.2 Effects on the intrinsic quality of fruits (soluble solids, titratable acid, etc.) The different intensities of winter pruning result in variations in the leaf-to-fruit ratio, thereby affecting the intrinsic quality of the fruits (Rathod et al., 2020; Makwana et al., 2024). The heavy pruning treatment has a higher leaf-to-fruit ratio, and each fruit accumulates more photosynthetic products, leading to a significant increase in its soluble solids (sugar)content, which is approximately 1-2 percentage points higher than that of the light pruning treatment on average. The fruits are sweeter. The titratable acid content of the heavily pruned fruits is slightly lower than that of the light pruning treatment, and the sugar-acid ratio is higher, resulting in a better flavor. This is because heavy pruning reduces the load, allowing the fruits to mature more fully. More acid is consumed while more sugar accumulates (Figure 2) (Patiyal et al., 2024). On the other hand, the light pruning treatment has too many fruits, and some of the fruits are not fully ripe, resulting in lower sugar content and higher acid content, and a less flavorful taste. The vitamin C content of the heavily pruned fruits is also slightly higher than that of the light pruning fruits, which may be related to improved maturity and light conditions (Al-Saif et al., 2023). In general, a moderate to heavy winter pruning intensity is beneficial for enhancing the intrinsic quality of kiwifruit fruits (increasing sugar content and improving flavor), while too light pruning reduces the soluble solids content and quality of the fruits due to excessive load.
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